Many gamblers believe that when they are feeling “lucky” they are sure to win. In casino games which allow players to add their personal input into the games, players often believe that their “lucky” feelings are transferred to the game and that they can therefore somehow “control” the outcome of the game. When players feel they can control the outcome of a game, they typically will continue to play that game, possibly for prolonged periods of time.
In a typical electronically-controlled slot machine, the player simply pushes a starter button or pulls a handle, and the machine in response randomly generates a sequence of symbols, thereby indicating an outcome for the game. Similarly, in a typical electronically-controlled video poker machine, the player simply pushes a button to have a hand dealt to him, and pushes a button to indicate which cards he would like to hold. The machine responds by randomly generating cards to replace those that are not held. In each case, the player does not provide any input or selection to influence what is randomly generated and provided. Thus, the player may not believe that he truly participates in or has any influence over the outcome of the game.